Official Luthiers Forum!

So I was looking through some of the LMI kits and I noticed some of them had "Hazmat" versions. What exactly does this mean and how is it different from the other versions?

It is due to the use of ivoroid bindings. The stuff is very flammable.

Any material with toxic, flammable or reactive properties require special shipping and handling procedures and paper work for tractability.

HASMAT is an acronym for Hazardous Material

I have heard from the folks at LMI at the ASIA meeting that people have used power saws on the ivroid stuff and the heat generated was enough to cause it to catch fire. I guess it is not only risky to ship but to machine it in the workshop.

It is VERY flammable. Clean up after scraping. It's a great thing to keep in a metal tin and take camping with you. Instant fire. (don't inhale fumes, they're toxic)

I can vouch for that

I have actually had the iveroid and tortise bindings melt while sanding them.

I now use a scraper exclusively for these types of bindings....no sanding allowed!

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Reguards,

Ken H

Quite a while back, someone on the MIMF was questioning the validity of the volatility statements for ivoroid bindings. To prove the point another member took a small pile, maybe a third a cup of shavings and tossed a match at them. His daughter took the picture he showed us. The flames were about 2 feet high before he could pull his hand back and cleared the edge of the table. I can't remember if he singed his eyebrows or not. The photo made the point.

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Aoibeann

It's basically celluloid and has been around way over a century. Large concentrations could indeed be a fire hazard -- as was the case with movie film when celluloid was used in making the movie film. Melting is not hazardous. Don't collect a pile of shavings. "Hazmat" is a new word made up so that people can talk authoritatively about stuff they don't actually know much about.

you can set the stuff on fire with a heat gun. I know. It will also burn like a dynamite fuse if set afire. Great stuff, though.

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Brad Tucker

...I think Ill stick with flamed..maple....

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Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

Anything that is highly flamable can be made into an explosive if compacted into a closed container and ignited. When I was in grade school we used to put match heads into spent .22 casings , bend over the top with pliers and hit them on a hard surface with a hammer with a nice little pop as a reward. It is a miracle I have both my eyes and all digits.
Lots of things changed after 911.......

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It's not the miles ahead, it's the stone in your shoe


In Markham,Virginia